Bismarck Mayor John Warford is hoping Northwest Airlines will reverse its decision to cut service by 100 seats in Bismarck after Fargo successfully lobbied against cutbacks.

"If Fargo has been able to convince Northwest Airlines CEO Douglas Steenland that the seats should be restored, then Ithink that helps us,"Warford said.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Northwest reversed its decision to cut seats in Fargo after officials there told the airline the cuts would hamper the ability for business travelers to get in and out of the city the same day. Northwest originally planned on cutting about 50 seats in Fargo.

Kurt Ebenhoch, a spokesman for Northwest, said the company will still meet the demand in Bismarck despite replacing some DC-9s, which hold 100, 110 or 125 passengers, with regional jets that hold about 50 passengers.

Northwest is parking 25 to 30 DC-9s as a cost-saving measure.

Ebenhoch said people should not have trouble booking flights even during peak travel times, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"When we made the adjustments, we based them on load factor,"Ebenhoch said.

Northwest Airlines currently has about 650 seats a day in and out of Bismarck. The cuts could come in October or November.

Warford said he doesn't understand why seats would be cut in a market that has seen 9,000 more boardings since 2003 and is also undergoing "historic" growth in its economy.

"It could not really have come at a worse time,"Warford said.

Bismarck will still have six Northwest flights a day if the cuts are made, but some people are worried that booking flights could become more difficult because the smaller jets will fill up more quickly.

Gary R. Ness, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, said he doesn't think people will have trouble getting a flight out of Bismarck on a particular day, but they might not be able to fly out at the time they want.

"My concern is the timing and capacity at a particular time," Ness said.

Ness said airplane boardings statewide are up about 8 percent from a year ago, which is a larger increase than what airports are experiencing nationwide.

Terry Harzinski, executive director of the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau, is concerned that the cutback will affect the convention industry, which has seen steady growth over 12 to 15 years.

"It's definitely a step back for us,"Harzinski said.

Airline availability is a common question asked of organizations considering a location for a convention.

"When we go out to attract conventions, it's common for people to ask how many inbound seats are available," Harzinski said.

Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman said the agency hasn't done a detailed analysis of the impact of losing seats, but said she's concerned.

Otte Coleman wonders why the change is being made even though demand has increased.

"Iguess we're just not the profit center,"Otte Coleman said.

Warford also is concerned that cutting seats could affect business travel because businesses sometimes book flights at the last minute.

Northwest representatives told Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and city officials last week that the airline can increase the seats if they know ahead of time of a big event that will temporarily increase the demand. Ebenhoch also said that if overall demand in Bismarck increases, the airline can adjust to meet the need.

Dorgan is trying to schedule a meeting among Northwest Airline officials and community leaders to make a case against cutting seats from North Dakota markets.

Northwest also plans to cut about 100 seats in Grand Forks.

Minot will gain 15 seats because one of the DC-9s will be replaced with a slightly larger one, Ebenhoch said.

If Northwest Airlines goes ahead with cuts in Bismarck, Warford said he at least hopes they don't reduce the capacity on the 11 a.m. flight from Minneapolis to Bismarck, which is the first flight arriving each day. Warford said Northwest Airline officials have told him that flight could change to a smaller aircraft.

"That is a critical flight for Bismarck to get the first one in a big plane,"Warford said.